Is Halloween Actually Demonic, or Are We Inventing a New Sin? [Ep. 104]

As you can see, this is a very special and unique episode of "Feeding Fathers" where Andrew Hermiz, executive director of Qurbana Media, sits down with Fr. Daniel Shaba to answer the questions a lot of us actually have: what even is a synod, and why does this upcoming Chaldean one matter so much? It’s been a historic week for the Chaldean Church. The Patriarch celebrated an ecclesial Communion Mass with Cardinal Tagle (representing Pope Leo), and the Chaldean liturgy was offered inside St. Peter’s Basilica with nearly every Chaldean bishop, many priests, and faithful from around the world present. With the bishops gathered at the Vatican, the synod now begins. This synod is Patriarch Paulus Nona III's first and it will help set the direction for a Church where most of us now live outside Iraq. We talk about how bishops actually get elected, what the synod can and can’t decide on liturgy and language, the age-limit rule that changed under Pope Francis, and why lots of rumors and gossip, unfortunately, surround synods. If you’ve been hearing names and theories in the group chat, hopefully we can prepare you for what to realistically expect. Pray for God’s will, for the Patriarch, and for the whole Chaldean Church. ––– 00:00 Intro 03:04 What Is a Synod 05:47 Synod Powers and Scope 10:01 Patriarch's Election 12:23 Rome Synod Significance 18:15 Bishops and Vatican Role 21:09 Who Gets a Vote 22:59 Italian Food and Liturgical Caps 25:22 Pray and Avoid Gossip –––

Every October the same clips show up on your feed: - Halloween is the highest day on the Satanic calendar. - Dressing up is drinking from the cup of demons. - Trick or treating is a pagan practice. - A kid in a Spider-Man costume is practically witchcraft. We watched a few of those and tried to answer the actual question they skip: is it wrong, or are we just assuming it is and then preaching at the assumption? All Hallows' Eve is the vigil of All Saints' Day. We distinguish innocent kids dressing as superheroes and getting candy from genuinely sinful or tempting environments like immodest Halloween parties, and emphasize that spiritual warfare is primarily resisting everyday sins (lust, pride, envy), not fearing costumes. We discuss how Catholics can “Christianize” cultural practices (like carving pumpkins with saint images), and note American culture tends to overshadow the saints. The episode includes S-tier Halloween candy rankings, favorite costumes, haunted houses, and a request for prayers for the upcoming Chaldean Synod. Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Fr. Augustine Joseph, Fr. Daniel Shaba ––– 00:00 Halloween Christian Debate 01:04 Safety and Clickbait 03:28 Anti-Halloween Claims 09:19 Superheroes and Moral Imagination 12:08 "Spiritual Battle" Is Misunderstood 15:59 Immodesty Parties vs Kids 17:01 Freedom Not Fear 20:07 Costumes and Witchcraft 21:17 Christianizing Culture 23:54 Candy Tier List 28:18 Our Best Halloween Costumes 31:57 Pray for Chaldean Synod –––

Somebody online says they’re Catholic, then tells you this is a sin, this is the tradition, and this is what the Church has always done. How are you supposed to know if that’s actually true? We get into the part most Catholic content skips: what the Magisterium actually is, why an encyclical isn’t automatically dogma, and why “the Church teaches” is a much smaller category than your feed makes it. Using examples like receiving Communion in the hand vs. on the tongue and prayer after Communion, we critique absolutist online claims and highlight how customs, rubrics, intention, and circumstances matter when evaluating whether something is sinful. We also address AI and impersonation scams, including fake priest accounts and AI-generated content, urging discernment about whether content draws viewers toward Christ or fuels anger and attachment to influencers. Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo, Fr. Tristan Farida ––– 00:00 Who Speaks for the Church 00:27 Coffee and Milk Debate 04:03 What Makes Catholic Content Trustworthy 06:21 Ordinary vs Extraordinary Teaching 08:24 Hand or Tongue for Communion? 10:35 Prayer After Communion Controversy 13:15 "Our Father" Gestures 17:28 Custom Tradition and Innovations 21:52 "Is This a Sin?" Culture 27:13 Church Teaching vs Opinion 31:00 Impersonators and AI Scams 36:48 Discernment for Catholic Media 37:42 Faith in Sports –––

A Catholic bishop used to own Friday night television. 30 million people watched every week tuned in to watch Fulton Sheen crack jokes, write on his chalkboard, and preach the truth. Today, he is beatified in St. Louis. On the day of Fulton Sheen’s beatification, we reflect on his primetime media impact (30 million weekly viewers on "Life Is Worth Living") and what made him effective: lived faith, storytelling, humor, a compelling voice, and devotion to daily Holy Hour. We compare today’s “culture of convenience” and short-form media to Sheen’s call for effort and meditation and link it to Catholic media today, stressing fidelity to Church teaching while engaging the wider culture through outlets like ours, EWTN, Catholic Answers, Word on Fire, and Bishop Barron’s appearance on Theo Von’s podcast. Naturally, we react to Catholic influencer clips, answer listener questions, and invite locals to the upcoming Chaldean American Festival. Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo, Fr. Tristan Farida –––

Self-proclaimed apostle, Kathryn Krick, looks into a camera and tells a room that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are for every one of you. Deion Sanders walks into a post-game press conference, "calms himself down," and everyone just stares. Nobody here is trying to talk you out of the Holy Spirit. That’s not the argument. The argument is what happens when you lift the word “baptism” off the sacrament Christ actually gave the Church, staple it onto a feeling, film it, and leave half the internet wondering why their prayer life looks so quiet. If you’ve ever watched someone fall over, speak in a language nobody in the room knows, and then gone home wondering what you’re missing... tune in. Not to mock it, but to ask whether the feeling is the point. A listener also wrote in: how do you even go to confession when you already know you’ll probably sin again? Kathryn has thoughts on that sacrament, too. Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Augustine Joseph ––– 00:00 Controversial Crew 02:31 Reacting to Viral "Tongues" Clips 04:48 Baptism Language Objection 08:50 Meaning Of Language And Word 17:36 Charisms And Discernment 21:25 Feelings vs Faith 30:07 Confession Questions 32:56 Cardinal's Aura Farming Tweet 40:02 Kathryn Cult Vibes 41:52 Bishop Barron's New Movie –––

We hit 100 episodes. Wow. We have to thank YOU, the listener, for making this possible. We wouldn't be here without you. Last week’s episode set people off with five seconds about Harry Potter, the gluttony comments, the usual... So, in appreciation of our amazing audience, we are celebrating 100 episodes by answering YOUR questions! And you asked us EVERYTHING.   Some questions you can look forward to: Should you ask God for something if His will is already set? Why is Fr. Andy mad? What do you tell a little kid when the lights go out and she wants to know why God did it? Are we starting a Twitch channel? What does becoming holy mean in the Chaldean tradition? We got way too much food, there’s cake, and we might even sing you a song. If you’ve watched every episode, you already know how this goes. If you only showed up because last week made you mad, start here and enjoy the ride.   Fr. Andy Blog on Why We Pray for Stuff: https://younan.blog/2020/10/12/why-pray-for-stuff/ Purchase "The Book of Before and After" Liturgy of the Hours of the Church of the East: https://a.co/d/08k5ft4c   Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Fr. Tristan Farida, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo ––– 00:00 100th Episode 02:34 Gluttony Backlash 06:20 Favorite Movies 08:32 Do We Watch Anime? 10:12 Should We Start a Twitch Channel? 11:54 God in the Storm 20:22 Andrew Finally On Camera 21:36 Would You Rather 22:33 Mental Health Stigma 25:20 Priesthood Surprises 28:57 Chaldean Rite Reading List 31:04 Fulton Sheen 34:45 Books That Build Faith 37:24 Praying With Confidence 41:27 Why Is Father Andy Mad? 42:34 Chai Chat Throwback 45:13 100 Episodes Reflection –––    

What do you do when prayer starts feeling like homework? When you’ve said every novena, every rosary, and your kid still won’t talk to you? When church is packed but the way people treat their families doesn’t match the words? When you don’t know the “right” form of prayer, so you just… don’t start? We get into the prayers that sound impressive and go nowhere, the tiny honest ones that actually do something, the difference between inviting God in and asking Him to do your job for you, and why jumping straight to a holy hour can backfire. We react to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s comments on daily prayer and peace, and emphasize prayer as an authentic reaching beyond oneself toward God, whether through formal prayers like the Our Father or a simple cry for help. We also settle a very serious question involving Harry Potter, sandwiches, and whether you should panic about every witch in a story. Next week is episode 100! Drop a question, a favorite moment, or something you’ve always wanted to ask the fathers. Very good chance we’ll read them on the show! "Chai Chat" on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkQq1cQqNPTDNyXv4JxzflbItqFiDWzID&si=RLsqkle6ZMkFfun4 Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Augustine Joseph ––– 00:00 Throwback Content 00:58 Huberman On Prayer 04:02 Authentic Prayer Matters 06:50 Pharisee Vs Tax Collector 09:30 Prayer And Responsibility 14:18 God Initiates Friendship 18:17 Grace Through Practice 21:02 Practical Prayer Tips 24:15 Daily Sacrifices As Prayer 26:42 Guilt And Prayer Burden 28:43 Aquinas On Prayer Time 30:24 Make Prayer Interesting 33:45 Harry Potter Panic 40:36 Start Small Family Prayer 41:03 Episode 100 –––  

Some of us wake up and grab the phone before we even know what day it is. If the notifications aren’t cleared, the brain doesn’t feel settled. And at a red light, 30 seconds of silence is suddenly too much. The question underneath all of it isn’t “Am I efficient?” It’s the one Jesus asked Peter on the shore after breakfast: "Do you love me?" We discuss how phone overuse affects attention, mental health, and spiritual life, starting with morning routines and rules. We contrast modern sensory overload with older, simpler life rhythms and highlight how constant distraction can weaken silence, emotional processing, and genuine connection. Fr. Simon also opens up about how he almost became a monk a couple years ago... like WOAH! And we react to Joe Shmid's conversion to the Catholic Faith and what he believe's are atheists' number one argument against God. Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Christopher Somo, Fr. Dany Shaba, Fr. Augustine Joseph ––– 00:00 Phone Habit Confessions 04:07 Dopamine Notification Fix 08:19 Coffee And Morning News 11:36 Tasks And Spiritual Health 14:43 Depression And Distraction 16:59 Information Overload And Love 19:28 Do You Love Me? 23:26 Silence and Overstimulation 25:34 Instant Gratification Culture 28:21 Doomscrolling Emptiness 29:32 Fr. Simon Almost Became a Monk?? 35:06 Acai Bowl Break 37:02 Reacting to Atheism Argument 39:33 Free Will and Animal Suffering –––

Pope Leo just said something most of us aren’t ready to hear about beauty, aging, and the pressure to stay young forever. In his homily on the feast of the Assumption, he talked about Mary’s body, the way icons always show her young, and what that has to do with the wrinkles, gray hair, and “signs of love” that show up on the rest of us. We get into the cultural stuff nobody wants to say out loud: plastic surgery, Botox, Ozempic, balloon faces, filtered photos that make you hate your real face, and the quiet panic that hitting a certain age means you’ve become useless. This isn’t a lecture. It’s us priests talking honestly about the fear of looking older, the difference between taking care of yourself and trying to outrun death, and why the people we actually want to be loved by aren’t the ones who only notice the surface. If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and felt the pressure, or watched someone you love chase a version of beauty that doesn’t exist, this one’s for you. Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andrew Younan, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Roni Schamoun ––– 00:00 Nose Job 06:34 Plastic Surgery Culture 09:46 Honoring Old Age 12:13 Wisdom Tradition 20:46 Authenticity Over Image 23:47 Marriage Fear and Vanity 27:40 Stop Faking Love 31:34 Plastic Surgery Ethics 34:24 Filters and Fitness Lies 37:18 Beauty Across Life Stages 40:24 Bible Trivia Game –––

The 2026 Chaldean-Assyrian Youth Convention in Sacramento left more than just trophies: Scorching turf that hit around 170 degrees, feet that still haven’t recovered, antibiotics, and a championship curse finally broken for St. John's. The theme was "Mary As Our Model," so we reflect on why her obedience cuts against the grain of modern culture. We also react to a viral video claiming Catholics worship statues and invent a different Mary. We reflect on the residual feeling that still hits after you leave an event like the convention that contains a sense of family, the hope of seeing youth actually love each other, and the reminder that we’re not meant to do this alone. And then we end things with a wild game of "Saint or Movie Quote!" Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Christopher Somo, Fr. Augustine Joseph, Fr. Tristan Farida ––– 00:00 Post Convention Injuries 01:26 Championship Wins Recap 04:17 Shoutouts to Leaders 06:02 Hope And Community 08:38 Mary Our Model Theme 14:42 Assumption And Marian Glory 19:40 "No Wine" Obedience Lesson 28:22 Modern Freedom Vs Obedience 31:42 Catholics Worship Mary? 34:08 Incarnation and Ark Objections 37:03 Saints as Mediators 45:08 Saint or Movie Quote –––